Ana Thompson groaned as she pushed the thick comforter aside and climbed out of the the plush, queen-sized bed. Making her way over to the window, she pulled back one of the thick, burgundy colored drapes and peeked outside. The snow had finally stopped falling-not that it mattered. Never having been a huge fan of the snow or anything to do with it, she'd been stuck inside for the last four days while everybody else had been out hitting the slopes.
Vail, Colorado had been her family's February vacation destination for the last ten years. Her father had done some carpentry work for Carrick Miller years ago, and the men managed to become fast friends. When Carrick had asked her family to join them in Vail that first year Ray had said yes, and the invitation had been extended every year since.
Unfortunately, Ana's sense of balance hadn't improved over the years, so she spent most of the time alone in the chalet reading or watching television.
She was just heading for the shower when there was a knock on her door. She walked over and opened it, stepping back to let her mother in.
"You're just getting up? It's after ten," her mother said, her tone lightly chastising.
Ana grinned. "We are on vacation, aren't we?"
"Well, yes. But to have fun, not to sleep the week away. Do you want to come with us today? I feel like we've barely seen you since we arrived."
Ana arched a brow as she winced. "Mom, skis and I don't exactly mesh well."
"Well...how about trying a snowboard?" her mother suggested. "Eric snowboards, you know. And it looks like it might be easier than skiing."
"It still involves remaining upright," she reminded her mother, not bothering to mention that Eric made everything look easy.
"At any rate, we're going snow sledding this afternoon. Would you like to join us?"
Cold and snow? Normally the answer to that would be a resounding 'no.' But Ana was tired of being holed up in her room while everyone else was out enjoying themselves. Surely even she could manage sitting and steering. "I'd love to."
Ana was kicking herself in the ass later that day when she walked outside. She hadn't stopped to think about who she'd be sharing a snow sled with. Her parents would obviously ride together, as would Carrick and Grace. The only other person waiting with them was Eric, and in typical Eric fashion, he looked sexy as hell. His sunglasses were resting on top of his head, and he was wearing a pair of black ski pants under his Miller Northface parka, for God's sake. How could that be sexy?
"So nice of you to grace us with your presence, Thompson," he teased with a grin as she approached.
Oh, why did he have to grin? Ana nearly groaned at the sight. She could count on two hands the number of times she'd come into contact with Eric Miller, and every damn time he'd left her heart aflutter. She was pretty sure he hadn't meant to, but he had that kind of charismatic personality that charmed everyone within a fifty mile radius. Unfortunately she was no exception.
"Sitting and steering," she said, returning his smile with a wobbly one of her own. "How hard can that be?"
"Steering?" he said with a laugh. "You won't have to worry about that."
"What does that mean?" she asked with a scowl.
"It means I've seen you walk, Ana. You think I'm going to let you drive?" he taunted.
She arched a brow at him, ignoring the way her heartbeat sped up when he said her name. "If you're scared, Miller, that's fine. That is just fine." She reached for the helmet resting on the seat of the snowmobile. "I'll be more than happy to ride on the back so you can hold onto your pride. I'd hate to hear you screaming like a girl when I took a corner too fast anyway. It'd be embarrassing for both of us."
"Fear has nothing to do with it," he shot back as he reached up and pulled his sunglasses down until they were covering his eyes. "It's my life on the line when you're in the driver's seat."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his ribbing.
The fucking eye roll. It wasn't sexy on anyone else, so why the hell did his lower body snap to attention whenever she did it? He quickly pulled his helmet on and tucked the strap beneath his chin before buckling it.
"Your life," she muttered. "Are all you Millers so dramatic?"
Eric tried to tamp down the desire rousing in his belly, but it didn't work. She's eighteen years old, he reminded himself. You're twenty-four. You don't want to go there, Miller. Nope. Still didn't work. "Dramatic?" he taunted as he swung a leg over the snow sled and sat down. "We'll see who's dramatic when I take a corner too fast."
Ana climbed on behind him and sat down, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Bring it on."
Eric turned his head to the side to make sure she could hear him. "Hold on tight," he warned.
He hit the throttle hard, and the snowmobile jerked forward, eliciting a shriek from Ana. She loosened one hand from his waist and thumped his stomach before tightening her hold again.
His only answer was a laugh.
They'd ridden for nearly an hour and a half before the trees gave way to a small clearing. The machines all came to a stop as everyone stood and started to stretch.
The men disappeared into the woods—to relieve themselves, Ana imagined—while her mother and Grace chatted. Eric came out of the clearing first and headed straight for the snow sled. Lifting the seat up, he pulled out a large water bottle. She could see his throat working as he took a long drink, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve as he held it out to her. "Drink?"
"Thanks," she said, reaching for the bottle. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time, and she struggled not to feel self-conscious under his gaze.
"Did you want to drive?" he asked as she passed the water back to him.
"No," she said, though she glanced longingly at the snowmobile. "I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to maneuver some of those sharp corners," she admitted.
"But you want to drive?"
"I just said-"
"Ana, do you want to drive or not?" he asked.
"I don't want to kill you!"
Eric laughed. "Hey, Mom," he said as he walked over to her. "There's a bigger clearing that's about a half an hour from here. I'm gonna take Ana there so she can try driving."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" her own mother asked with a frown. Traitor.
"Yeah. I won't let her go too fast," he promised. "And I'll be on the back. If she loses control, I'll take over."
Losing control and Eric Miller, Ana thought. I could be on board with that. Mmm...and him taking over. That didn't sound so bad, either.
"Hey!"
Ana shook her head, surprised to see Eric standing right in front of her.
"I'm putting my life in your hands," he said teasingly. "Be gentle."